Regional Cat & Dog Survey

Tuesday 11 July 2017

Sainsbury’s Bank commissioned Opinium Research to survey 4,008 nationally representative UK adults aged 18+ between 25 April-5 May 2017. Opinium Research is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules). Figures have been scaled up using a nationally representative sample (51,339,000).

The data used for the interactive tool is based on research amongst thousands of Sainsbury’s customers around the UK (its own customer panel circa 5000), as well as Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance customers. The findings for location are therefore indicative, and relate to the breakdown of cat and dog ownership amongst Sainsbury’s customers in that region, and the breeds of dogs and cats they own.

Survey Findings

Pet Ownership

19% of UK households have a dog.

19% of UK households have a cat.

8% of UK households have both a cat and a dog.

Newcastle is the city with the highest level of dog ownership in the UK - 41% of households have a dog.

Brighton is the city with the lowest level of dog ownership in the UK - 14% of households have a dog.

Norwich has the highest level of cat ownership in the UK - 44% of households have a cat

Attitudes to Pets

Nationwide, 46% of people prefer dogs compared to 30% who like cats better

Belfast has the highest proportion of dog lovers in the UK; 63% of people there prefer them.

Brighton and Norwich have the joint highest percentage of people who prefer cats - 40%.

Pets and health

88% of dog owners say that they feel happier and have a better quality of life because of their pets

85% of cat owners say that they feel happier and have a better quality of life because of their cats

29% of people said that their pet helped them overcome loneliness.

28% of people said that their pet helped them improve their overall fitness.

24% of people said that their pet helped them combat depression.

18% of people say that their pets have made them more sociable by helping them meet more people.

6% of people say that their pet helped them to cope better with a disability.

For more information on pet ownership in your postcode area, see the Sainsbury’s Bank pet map tool: Sainsburys Bank